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Posted on: February 12, 2015

Pierce County announces park and trail closures around the U.S. Open

Building a “temporary city” for more than 200,000 people takes time, so Pierce County Parks and Recreation will begin closing portions of Chambers Creek Regional Park on March 16 as on-site preparations ramp up for the 2015 U.S. Open Championship at Chambers Bay.

Additional site closures are scheduled to take effect on April 20 and May 26, with the final site-wide closure taking place on June 10. The U.S. Open will be held June 15-21.

“Chambers Creek Regional Park is an outstanding community asset, and we understand the impact the park closures will have to its many users,” said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. “I appreciate the community’s support as construction begins on grandstands, temporary buildings and other components of the U.S. Open Championship, whose construction often compares it to a temporary city. The USGA and the county are working together to implement a phased-in approach so we can preserve public access to the park as long as possible.”

An interactive map showing the closure schedule is available at www.piercecountywa.org/ccrp. The web page will be updated if there are changes to the closure schedule during construction.

Here’s a breakdown of the schedule:

March 16: Closures will be focused on the Central Meadow area, which includes the off-leash dog areas, the Bridge to the Beach, the grass meadow and portions of the Soundview Trail. The closure will allow construction to begin on a variety of temporary facilities for the U.S. Open. During the closure, public access to the affected areas will be restricted to authorized staff only.

April 20: Full closure of the Central Meadow parking lot and restrooms, North Meadow grass area, and the Soundview Trail. Additionally, the entry road leading to the Central Meadow will be closed to the public. Grandview Trail will remain open; however, parking will be limited to on-street parking and the lots at the nearby Environmental Services Building.

May 26: Playground by the Sound, the Chambers Bay Golf Course and Grandview Trail will be closed to the public.

Final closures prior to the championship will occur in June when the Chambers Bay Grill and Pro Shop, Environmental Services Building and East Slope Trail will close to the public. Beginning June 10, no public access or parking will be available at the park or adjoining Environmental Services Building.

“We will progressively reopen the site after the Championship as structures are disassembled and the site is restored,” said Parks and Recreation Director Tony Tipton. “The USGA is committed to helping us resume public access as quickly as possible. Some areas – particularly the Central Meadow – will remain closed for a longer period of time while the grass recovers. In the meantime, we hope park users will enjoy other regional trail systems, including the Foothills Trail and Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail.”

The United States Golf Association is expecting more than 200,000 spectators, volunteers, media, vendors and staff to attend the seven-day event. This is the first time the U.S. Open will be held in the Pacific Northwest in its 115-year history, and just the fourth time the championship has been conducted at a publicly-owned course.